Fanatical About Number Plates

Part Three Plate History - from then to now 100 years of British Vehicle Registrations Extracts from publications at the time In depth articles by the late Les Newall Regtransfers.co.uk 51

Almost 100 Years of British Vehicle Registrations by John Harrison Earl Russell in his Napier with the number plate A 1. In the beginning Although it is nearly 100 years old, the British registration system is not the oldest in the world. The first proper registration system appears to have been adopted by the state of Baden in Germany in 1896 and the first country to adopt a national one was Holland in 1899. One distinction of the British system is that a registration issued when it started in 1903 can still be valid on the same vehicle today, though Britain cannot claim the oldest system in this respect. In the Spanish system, an original plate could be valid on the same vehicle that dates back to 1900. 52 Regtransfers.co.uk

High Street, Uxbridge Number Plate A - 1032 Vehicle registrations were introduced under the provisions of the Motor Car Act 1903. All motor vehicles used on the roads after 1 January 1904 had to be registered with the appropriate local authority. In fact most authorities started issuing registrations towards the end of 1903. One suggestion which had been put forward prior to the passing of the Act was that cars should be given names, in a similar way to ships, rather than numbers. Fortunately, in view of subsequent growth in vehicular traffic, the government did not accept this proposal! To facilitate the issuing of registrations, local authorities were allocated codes of one or two letters. Codes with G, S or V in them were reserved for Scottish authorities and codes with I and Z in them were reserved for Ireland. England and Wales were allocated the remaining codes. Interestingly, no special recognition was given to Wales' status in the allocation. English and Welsh codes were allocated alphabetically by size of population. Thus, London, the largest authority, was given A; Lancashire the next largest B, and so on to AA for Hampshire, AB for Worcestershire etc until finally diminutive Rutland received FP. In Scotland the three largest authorities, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire, were allocated the single letters G, S & V respectively. The remaining codes were allocated using alphabetical order of authority name, e.g. SA to Aberdeenshire, SB to Argyll, etc. Irish codes were allocated by alphabetical order of authority name (I & Z were not allocated as single letters), i.e. IA to Antrim, IB to Armagh, etc. Much recent DVLA publicity refers to A 1 as being the first registration issued. It certainly was the first one issued by London, but it is likely other authorities started issuing registrations slightly earlier than London. In order to be allocated the number A1, Earl Russell had queued all night outside the London CC offices. Regtransfers.co.uk 53

It is interesting to note the codes omitted from the original allocation: BF - standing for Bloody Fool, a then popular acronym. This was originally allocated to Dorset but soon withdrawn in preference to FX. BF, with use restricted to three- letter combinations, was re-allocated to Staffordshire in 1960. DD - It is understood this was a form of alcoholic deliria, q.v. DT below. The series was commenced by Gloucestershire in 1921. DF - an acronym for Damned Fool. This was originally allocated to Northampton, but following objections from that Council, the code NH was substituted. DF subsequently went to Gloucestershire in 1926. DT - standing for delirium tremens. When Doncaster became a separate county borough in 1927, the mark DT was a logical code to allocate to it. ER - the then royal cypher. Commenced by Cambridgeshire in 1922. SC, SF, SG, CS, FS & GS were omitted from the Scottish allocation. The likely explanation for this is the possibility of confusing the letters C & G and E and F - at this time most number plates were hand painted, sometimes rather crudely. Each code was to be followed by a serial number of up to four digits. Local authorities had to keep three separate registers of vehicles; ordinary cars, \"heavy motor cars\" (lorries and buses in reality) and motorcycles. Some just issued numbers sequentially, not segregating the vehicle types. Others had segregation, either in Pre-number plates. Mr. A.A. Speechley in an 1897 Benz, 1 cyl, 3.5 hp. Photo taken at Churchfield Road, Acton, Middx, early 1930’s. 54 Regtransfers.co.uk

blocks or by using odd and even numbers for different categories. Some used lead zeros in front of one type of number, e.g. heavy motor cars might have numbers like AB 0123. Some had two or three parallel systems, so there could be two or even three different vehicles with the same numbers! The System Develops New codes were generally needed for one of two reasons; either an existing authority was \"running out\" of available numbers or a new county borough was being created. The early years of the twentieth century were a period of industrialisation and consequent rapid urban growth, so many towns expanded and reached a size justifying separate borough status. The original 1903 allocation in England and Wales ended at FP (Rutland). The next two codes to be used both went to new boroughs, FR to Blackpool and FT to Tynemouth. FU and FW were omitted (It should be noted that FS and FV were both intended for use in Scotland). It is easy to surmise why FU was omitted, but there is no obvious reason for leaving out FW. As has already been explained, FX was allocated to Dorset as residents of that area objected to having BF as their code. Not surprisingly, the first authority to use up its original code was London. This was allocated LC in 1905 and LN in 1906. The next authority to require a second code was Middlesex which commenced MX in 1912. Three principles appear to have been used in allocating new and further codes. Some were allocated on a mnemonic basis, e.g. LC (London County) and LN to London, Harefield Road, Uxbridge, 55 Middlesex. Number plate MX 6280 Regtransfers.co.uk

MX to Middlesex and KN to Kent. In other cases an attempt was made to give authorities an \"alphabetical run\" of codes, e.g. most of the Lx codes subsequently went to London and Cheshire after being originally allocated M was given MA & MB. In yet other cases the original alphabetical sequence was followed, e.g. when Merthyr Tydfil was created a separate borough in 1908 it received HB. Eventually it was realised that, with reserving G, S & V codes for Scotland, this country would be over provided with codes. Thus some codes with G and V in them \"came south of the border\", the first one being VB allocated to Croydon in 1927, but codes with S in them remained exclusively William Newing at Brighton Scottish until 1974. Number Plate LL-9827 The system of registering vehicles was initially much looser than it is today. For instance, if the owner of a vehicle moved to another authority or a vehicle was sold across an authority boundary, it would often be re-registered. The Roads Act of 1920 included among its provisions a tightening up of procedures relating to vehicle registration. The practice of re-registering vehicles which were moved to another authority area ceased. The Act required that a vehicle would now retain its registration for the lifetime of that vehicle. In 1921 the Irish Free State, now the Irish Republic was established. Perhaps surprisingly, the Irish registration system remained based on the British system until 1987, though when reflective plates were introduced in the Republic rear plates were given a red background whereas in Britain the background was yellow. A convention was agreed whereby in the Republic Zx combinations would be used for new codes and in the North xZ would be used. Coping with vehicle growth By 1932 most of the two-letter codes had been allocated and the registration system 56 Regtransfers.co.uk

had to be further developed. The decision was made to add a third letter to the authority's code letters followed by up to three numbers, i.e. ABC 123 format where BC would represent the authority code. Staffordshire was the first authority to move onto three letters, ARF being commenced in July 1932. It is interesting to note that Staffordshire had the codes RE and RF (plus E which obviously could not be converted into a three-letter code). ARE was not commenced till July 1934 as at that time RE combinations were used for four-wheeled vehicles and RF was used for motorcycles and more motorcycles were registered than other vehicles! Thus RF was finished before RE. Middlesex, Surrey and Kent soon followed Staffordshire by adopting three letters later in 1932. Inevitably when three-letter registrations were introduced, certain combinations were banned as they spelt potentially offensive words, such as GOD, JEW & SEX. Private car production ceased during the Second World War and less new registrations were needed. Car ownership, however, grew rapidly after the war and the registration system again had to adapt to accommodate this growth. A logical decision was made to reverse the system, putting the numbers before the letters. Staffordshire was the first authority that needed to issue three-letter registrations and it was also the first authority that needed to issue reversed combinations. The first reversed combination was 1000 E issued in April 1953 - it should be noted that most authorities withheld many low numbered reversed one and two-letter combinations to avoid possible confusion with trade plates. Middlesex followed hard on the heels of Staffordshire Regtransfers.co.uk High Street, Uxbridge Number Plate GK 6974 57

by issuing 1000 H in June 1953. Many authorities issued their one or two letter codes first as reversed combinations, whereas others started with three-letter reversed combinations. Some started both series at once, generally to avoid the problem of having to fit four-digit numbers onto small rear motorcycle plates. Ever rapidly increasing vehicle growth meant that, although reversing had effectively doubled the number of combinations available the system was again soon \"creaking\" and further change was necessary. By the outbreak of the Second World War all available two-letter codes had been allocated except those containing I or Z reserved for Ireland and BF, OO & WC. These latter codes had been withheld for reasons of propriety in the case of BF & WC and in the case of OO because of potential confusion with the figure zero. BF was now allocated to Staffordshire which commenced CBF in July 1960 and OO & WC to Essex who commenced OO in September 1961. The \"censors\" restricted which combinations of these letters could be issued. Neither BF or WC could be issued as two letter combinations. Similarly ABF, BBF, UBF, AWC & UWC were banned, though following a DVLA review of withheld marks, UBF has recently been issued with \"P\" prefix. Interestingly, no objections were raised to LOO and POO being issued! On to year letters. The allocation of BF to Staffordshire and OO & WC to Essex, kept the registration system going temporarily, but a further more radical change was needed. This occurred in 1963 when year letter suffixes were introduced, i.e. the format became ABC 123A. Staffordshire had been the first authority to use three-letter combinations and the first to issue reversed combinations. The allocation of BF to Number plate XB 4463 it, however, \"kept it going\" and meant that it was not the first authority to run out of available combinations. It was therefore Middlesex who was the first authority to use year letters, AHX 1A being issued in February 1963. Between then and 1 January 1965 all local authorities started using year letters. The reason for this phased introduction was number plate manufacturers wanted time to produce sufficient letters to be able to produce plates. Some authorities were \"forced\" to go onto year letters as they had run out of forward and reversed 58 Regtransfers.co.uk

combinations. Others did it rather than commence reversed combinations. Yet others did it at an arbitrary point. It is interesting to note that, although Middlesex and other authorities had \"run out\" of \"yearless\" combinations, in 1963 some small Scottish authorities were still issuing original format two-letter registrations! The slowest issuing authority, Bute, only reached SJ 2860 before going on to year letters on 1 January 1964! The allocation of BF, OO & WC in the early 1960's meant that there were now no spare marks for any new county boroughs that might be created. All the Xx codes had been allocated to London except XG (Teeside), XJ (Manchester) & XS (Paisley) (plus Northern Ireland's XI & XZ). When year letters were introduced in 1963 the London Xx codes were withdrawn so spare marks would potentially be available for any new boroughs created. The following were subsequently used: XA - Kircaldy (1963), XB - Coatbridge (1964), XC - Solihull (1964), XD & XE - Luton (1964) & XF - Torbay (1968). When codes were again reallocated in 1974 (we will deal with shortly), all Xx combinations were withdrawn. Year letters caused a high demand for registration of new vehicles on 1 January each year and this created problems for the motor trade and registration authorities. To minimise the problems that resulted, the \"E\" letter was used from only 1 January to 31 July 1967 and \"F\" was commenced on 1 August 1967. 1 August was to remain the changeover date for the next 30 years. The introduction of year letters with their seven-digit registrations resulted in one change in the appearance of plates. Characters were now 3.7\" high, whereas previously they had been 3.1\" high. In January 1968 there was a further change to the appearance of plates. Reflective plates, white at the front, black at the rear, were made optional. From 1 January 1972 they became compulsory for most categories of newly registered vehicles. An indiscernible major change The changes so far described have for the most part been the result of needing to accommodate increased vehicle ownership. In 1974, what is arguably the most major change of the registration system occurred, but this was not the direct result of the need to \"enlarge\" the system to cope with more vehicles. Furthermore, the changes would have been totally unnoticeable to the casual observer. Since the inception of the British system in 1903 all vehicle records had been held in manual form. The records were kept by the authority in which the vehicle keeper resided. Thus, if the police or other official body needed to trace a vehicle's details, they would contact the local authority whose code letters appeared on the plate. Thus, if details of say, ABC 123 were required, Leicester would be contacted as BC denoted Leicester. In many cases, however, the records would no longer be held with the original authority, so the enquiry would be referred on to another local authority in which the keeper now resided. This clearly was not very efficient. Computers had developed to a point where a central computer record could be kept. The decision was Regtransfers.co.uk 59

made to have a central office at Swansea, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre, with regional offices, Local Vehicle Licensing Offices (LVLO's - now called Local Offices or LO's), responsible for registration of new vehicles. As with many new computer systems, delays occurred in the introduction of this one. The original plan was that the new system should be introduced on 1 January 1974, during the \"M\" year. So that local authority and LVLO issues could readily be distinguished, at the beginning of the \"M\" year, local authorities were instructed to issue M-registrations commencing only with letters in the second half of the alphabet, i.e. N to Y. Some authorities, however, managed to break this rule! As it happened, the new system was not introduced till 1 October 1974, early in the \"N\" year. As a result of the way local authority issues had progressed, the decision was made that local authority \"N\" issues could commence with A to F or N to Y and LVLO issues would be in the range G to M. One corollary of this is that vehicles registered in August or September 1974 are instantly recognisable! Obviously, it was necessary to reallocate codes under the new system from local authorities to LVLO's. For the most part, codes \"moved\" to the nearest LVLO or one relatively near. For instance, Chelmsford LVLO \"inherited\" Essex's and Southend's codes, plus AR from Hertfordshire. Some codes did, however, \"leap across the country\". In particular, Scotland was considered to be over-provided with codes, so many Scottish codes \"came south\". Until 1974, any code containing \"S\" was automatically recognisable as a Scottish code, but GS was then moved from Perthshire to Luton and WS from Edinburgh to Bristol. Originally, there were 81 LVLO's. In 1980 (the \"W\" year), however, following a 60 Regtransfers.co.uk

report from a commission headed by Lord Rayner, the then chairman of Marks and Spencer, 29 LVLO's were closed as an economy measure. In most cases when an office has been closed, a nearby one has taken over responsibility for the issue of the marks from the closed office. Practice in this respect has varied, some such local marks being used much more widely used than others. Since the 1980 round of closures a further 11 offices have been closed, so now 42 LO's remain. On to year prefixes \"Z\" and also, I, O, Q & U were not used as year letters, so the year suffix system expired at the end of the \"Y\" year, on 31 July 1983. A while beforehand the government had published a consultation paper on what form the system should take after that date and the outcome of this consultation exercise was that the format should be \"reversed\", i.e. the year letter became a prefix as in A123 ABC. At the same time a number of other changes were made to the system. Until August 1984, a vehicle which was newly registered second-hand, e.g. because it was imported after being used abroad or was an ex-military vehicle, would receive the current year letter. This meant that some old vehicles had incongruous modern registrations. Furthermore, occasionally people buying second-hand vehicles might be misled regarding its age and some businesses actually imported used vehicles from Ireland or the Channel Islands, so they could profit from them having the latest registration. From 1 August 1984 the government decided that second-hand vehicles newly registered would be given a year letter appropriate to their age. This raised the problem that it was not always possible to determine the date of a vehicle, e.g. a kit car or a vehicle imported from abroad with inadequate documentation. Such vehicles were therefore to be given a Q-registration, a plate in the format Q123 ABC. The introduction of year letters made cherished numbers more popular. The decision Regtransfers.co.uk 61

was therefore made to start A-registration issues at 21 instead of 1, so the numbers A1 to A20 were withheld. Part way through the G-year, the range of numbers withheld was increased to include other \"nice\" numbers like 30, 33, 100 and 111 and certain car model numbers, such as 911. Subsequently the \"Select\" Scheme whereby most withheld numbers could be purchased was introduced. Since registrations were computerised in 1974, most numbers have been allocated to garages in blocks. The garage allocates the numbers to particular vehicles as they are sold, returning to the LO to complete the necessary \"paperwork\" (or more precisely \"computerwork\") and obtaining the tax disc before the vehicle is delivered. A few vehicles would be registered directly at the LO, e.g. personal imports, but these would be the exception. A new scheme has, however, now been introduced called Automatic First Registration and Licensing (AFRL). This was first trialled by Ford dealers in Bristol. M-GAE being the first AFRL series. Under this scheme the vehicle is registered by the garage using computer links and the tax disc is issued by the garage. Since P-registration the AFRL scheme has been more widespread. A consequence of AFRL is that two parallel series have to be used at once, a series for ordinary issues and a series for AFRL. As a result, since the \"R\" year, registration issues have appeared in a much more random way. Previously they followed a generally logical sequence alphabetically (with the occasional deviation which added interest to my hobby!), but now the progression is much less logical. The year letter system has increasingly caused problems of a peak of registration in August with around a quarter of new vehicles being registered in that month. This has resulted in pressure from the motor trade for a change in the system and following a consultation exercise a new one was adopted. As a consequence, \"R\" was used for 13 months, till 31 August 1998 and since then prefix letters have changed every six months, on 1 March and 1 September. This meant that the system lasted till 31 August 2001 when the new system described elsewhere in this book was adopted. *********** 62 Regtransfers.co.uk

The Brighton Run. Big Ben, London. Regtransfers.co.uk 63

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What were they saying at the time? Extracts from The Autocar, The Times and The Car Illustrated, give a flavour of what was being said at the time of the introduction of the new car registration system. No. 423.] Vol. XI. Saturday, November 28th, 1903 [Price 3d. Notes. number can be placed in a row if desired, so that a long narrow plate The Size of the Numbers. may be employed instead of one more When the new Motor Car Act, nearly square. This will be a great which comes into force on January 1st convenience in many instances, next, was passed, many points of vital particularly for the front number. Only concern were left to the Local the back number need be illuminated at Government Board to deal with by night, and so long as it is plainly means of regulations which they were illuminated, it is left to the automobilist empowered to make. We need hardly to adopt such means as he sees fit to say that the chief features of the Act secure that end. The regulations now were the increase of the speed limit issued deal only with the registration, from twelve to twenty miles an hour, numbering and the driving licences, the imposition of registered numbers, though in the memorandum which and licenses for driving. In another accompanies them, sent to County and column to-day we publish a synopsis of County Borough Councils, in which the the regulations, and it will be seen that Act and regulations are expounded for the size of the district index letters and the benefit of those who will administer the numbers has been very them, other matters are referred to. considerably reduced from those originally proposed. Not only so, but the one or two index letters and the car Regtransfers.co.uk 65

652 The Autocar Saturday, November 28th, 1903. Under the Light Locomotives Act of The Board contemplate that 1896 certain general regulations as Councils will usually assign to the use and construction of light consecutive numbers to cars registered locomotives, and the conditions under with them. They think, however, that which they may be used were issued for purposes of ready identification it on the 9th day of November, 1896. The is not desirable that numbers consisting Local Government Board now state of more than three figures should be that, as the result of the passing of the assigned, and they will be prepared, if Motor Car Act, 1903, and of the desired, to assign a fresh index mark to experience gained since 1896, some of any Council who may require to start a the regulations contained in the Order fresh series of numbers under a new of November 9th, 1896, need mark. amendment; and , in consequence, the The (Licensing and Local Government Board will issue an Registration) Order now issued order rescinding these and prescribe consists of twenty-two articles, and others. they are considerably modified from It may be mentioned that the the draft of the Order which the Local term motor cycle is not defined in the Government Board recently sent out to Act, and the Local Government Board certain of the automobile associations. have no authority to define it, but they The important point about the understand that, though the term might regulations is that motor cars must sometimes properly apply to other carry a number “for and aft”, to use a vehicles, it would be generally treated nautical phrase. Only the number as limited to motor cars designed to carried at the rear of the car requires travel on not more than three wheels, lighting at night. and weighing, unladen, not more than three hundredweights. 66 Regtransfers.co.uk

The Times Monday 30 November, 1903. Motor Car Regulations this case the maximum fee of £3 should —————— be charged, and ask the Council generally to endorse that opinion by The Highways Committee of the London resolution. County Council, to whom the question of The Act of 1903 requires that every dealing with the Motor–Car Act 1903, motor–car shall be registered by the was delegated by the Council, report that Council and have a separate number the Local Government Board has now assigned to it, while a mark is to be issued its regulations under the Act, affixed to each car with a view to together with a circular letter explaining facilitating identification. The Local them, and state that they have given Government Board regulations require careful consideration to the course to be that two indentification marks, one in adopted with regard to the front and one behind the car, shall be administration of the Act. carried, and for motor–cars two different The regulations prescribe the forms forms of rectangular plates may be used. which are to be adopted in connextion It is provided, moreover, that plates need with the registration of motor–cars, and not be used, but that, should it be the licensing of drivers, and the preferred, owners may employ designs, committee have arranged for the painted or other, subject to the necessary books and forms to be prepared requirements of the regulations in at once, in order that there may be no respect of the dimensions of the lettering, delay in carrying out the provisions of the colouring,&c., being complied with. the Act, which comes into force on Two identification marks have to be January 1 next. The fees prescribed by carried on motor–cycles, and, provided the Act to be charged for registration are that the machines do not exceed 3cwt. in — for a motor–car £1, for a motor–cycle weight, various forms of identification 5s., and the fee for a licence to drive plates may be used, and there is some either a motor–car or a motor–cycle is 5s. latitude in regard to the position in The Board’s regulations prescribe the which they may be carried, while the following as the fees to be charged under dimensions, where the vehicles do not section 7 (2) of the Motor-Car Act for the exceed this weight, are to be half of those registration of change of ownership of a prescribed in the case of motor–cars. The motor-car or cycle - namely, 5s. in the Council may, if it thinks fit, supply to the case of a motor-car, and 1s. in the case of owner of a car or cycle, should he so a motor–cycle. The Council is also desire, the necessary identification empowered to charge a fee of 1s. upon plates, but the committee are of opinion the issue of a new driver’s licence in that, in view of the various forms of place of one lost or defaced. Under identification marks permitted by the section 2 of the Act the Council is regulations, and also having regard to empowered, on payment of each annual the fact that, although the registration fee not exceeding £3 as it may decide numbers of motor–cars and cycles are to upon, to assign to a manufacturer or be consecutive, an entirely different form dealer whose business premises are and size of plate is permitted in the two situated in the county a general cases, it would be very undesirable, for identification mark which may be used the present at any rate, for the Council to for any car on trial after completion or on supply the plates. trial by an intending purchaser. The The Board in its regulations and in the committee express the opinion that in circular accompanying them has dealt Regtransfers.co.uk 67

The Times Monday 30 November, 1903. with the questions arising out of the public, the committee have arranged for registration of cars and cycles and the the issue of an advertisement stating licensing of drivers, these being the the date by which the Council will be most pressing points to be settled. prepared to register motor–cars and There are certain other matters, motor–cycles and to issue licences for however, arising under the Act of 1903 drivers, and stating further that, owing which will have to receive attention at to the various forms of identification a later date, when a better opportunity marks allowed by the Board’s shall have been afforded the Council of regulations, the Council will not judging of the effect of the provisions of provide plates for use of owners. They the Act upon motor–car traffic. The state that they propose to submit, after matters to which the committee here the Council shall have had an refer are dealt with particularly by opportunity of judging of the working of sections 8, 9 and 10 of the Act relative the Act, a further report, if necessary, to (1) the prohibition of motor–cars on dealing in detail with the various special roads; (2) the limitation of the matters arising thereunder. It is, rate of speed; and (3) the erection of however, necessary for the Council at notice boards. With regard to the once to decide what fee shall be charged question of the limitation of speed, the for the assignment of a general committee point out that the Local identification mark to a manufacturer Government Board is of opinion that or dealer, and, as already stated, they the expedients provided by the Act for are of opinion that this should be the the reduction of the speed limit in maximum allowed by the Act. They add certain districts to ten miles an hour, that the solicitor did not consider it and for the prohibition of the use of necessary for drivers’ licences to be motor vehicles in certain streets, should issued under the seal of the Council, a not be resorted to, unless it is seen that course which would entail serious delay the other provisions of the Act make and inconvenience and they have such a course indispensable. Having accordingly arranged for these to be carefully considered this point, the issued by the clerk of the Council. committee state that they fully concur in the views expressed by the Board. For the information and guidance of the 68 Regtransfers.co.uk

Advert from The Car dated 30 December 1903. 69 Regtransfers.co.uk

The Times 1st january, 1904 Motor–Cars The Locomotives on Highways Act, 1896, defines a “light locomotive” as : — “Any vehicle propelled by mechanical power if it is under three tons in weight unladen, and is not used for the purpose of drawing more than one vehicle (such vehicle with its locomotive not to exceed in weight unladen four tons) and is so constructed that no smoke or visible vapour is emitted therefrom except from any temporary or accidental cause.” The Motor-Car Act [U.K.], which comes into operation to-day, and is limited to expire on December 31, 1906, gives to “motor-car” the same meaning as that of “fight locomotive” in the above enactment, except that (1) for the purpose of new registration provisions “motor–car” is not to include a vehicle drawn by a motor-car, and (2) the weights mentioned therein may be increased as respects any class of vehicle by Local Government Board regulations. The reckless, negligent, or too rapid driving (at what-ever speed) on a public highway or roadway to which the public are granted access is an offence under the Act, and any police-constable may apprehend without warrant a driver who has offended within his view if he refuses to give his name and address or produce the licence required by the Act, or if the car cannot be identified under the Act. Every car must be registered with the council of a county or county borough with a separate number and mark indicating it fixed on the car or vehicle drawn by it or both, and on payment of a fee of 5s. each for motor–cycles and 20s. each for other cars. Manufacturers and dealers may obtain general identification marks for use on trial. As to licences, it is enacted that:– “A person shall not drive a motor–car on a public highway (or roadway to which the public are granted access) unless he is licensed for that purpose, and a person shall not employ any person who is not so licensed to drive a motor–car. “The council of a county or county borough shall grant a license to drive a motor–car to any person applying for it who resides in that county or county borough on payment of a fee of 5s., unless the applicant is disqualified under the provisions of this Act.” The only absolute disqualifications are – (1) being under 17 years of age, for driving motor cycles only, of 14 years or under; and (2) already holding a licence still in force. But a person convicted of an offence under the Act or of any offence in connexion with the driving of a motor–car (other than a first or second offence consisting solely of exceeding any limit of speed fixed under the Act) may be declared to be disqualified by the Court before whom (sic) he is convicted for a period limited only by the discretion of 70 Regtransfers.co.uk

The Times 1st january, 1904 that Court. The fine for any offence under the Act may be up to £20, or in the case of a second or subsequent conviction up to £50, with the alternative of imprisonment up to three months, but there will be an appeal to quarter sessions against (1) imprisonment, (2) any fine above 20s., and (3) any order of disqualification. The enforcement of the maximum speed of 14 miles an hour under the Act of 1896 (as reduced by Local Government Board regulations under that Act to 12 miles an hour) is replaced by the enactment that: — “A person shall not, under any circumstances, drive a motor car on a public highway or roadway to which the public are granted access at a speed exceeding 20 miles an hour, and within any limits or place referred to in regulations made by the Local Government Board with a view to the safety of the public, on the application of the local authority of the area in which the limits or place are situate, a person shall not drive a motor-car at a speed exceeding 10 miles an hour.” Contravention of this enactment is punishable by fine up to £10 for a first offence, £20 for a second, and £50 for any subsequent offence; but there can be no conviction merely on the opinion of one witness, nor unless the offender was warned of an intended prosecution at the time of the offence, or unless notice of it was sent to him or to the registered owner of the car within reasonable time after the commission of it. The Local Government Board may also prohibit or restrict the driving of any motor-car on any highway which does not exceed 16 feet in width “or on which ordinary motor-car traffic would in their opinion be especially dangerous.” Local authorities are to give public notice of any such prohibitions or restrictions or limitations of speed, and also, subject to regulation as to size and colour” to be made by the Board, to set up sign-posts denoting dangerous corners, cross-roads, and precipitous places. In case of accident to any person or to a horse or vehicle in charge of any person owing to the presence of a motor-car on a road, the driver is directed to stop and give his and the owner’s name, if required, on pain of a fine up to £10 for a first offence, £20 for a second, and £20 or imprisonment up to one month for any subsequent offence. All common law and statutory liabilities of owners are expressly left unaffected– a very extensive saving, in view of the wide civil liability for negligence and of the direction of the Act of 1896 that a motor–car, or “light locomotive” as it is there called, is to be deemed a “carriage” within the meaning of any Act whatever – and both the Act of 1896 and the new Act are declared to apply to persons in the public service of the Crown. Regtransfers.co.uk 71

Margate Fishing Festival 1913 Number plate LA 6653 The Times Wednesday, January 13, 1904 The Motor–Car Act. Mr. Marsham, sitting at Bow-Street, had before him the first case under the Motor-Car Act, 1903. Henry Smith, described as a motor- car driver, of Coliseum-terrace, Regent’s-Park, was charged with being drunk while in charge of a motor–car, and with failing to produce his driver’s licence when requested to do so by a police- officer. The second offence was framed under the Motor–car Act, 1903, sec. 3, subsec. 4. A police-constable said that at 8 o’clock yesterday morning he saw the prisoner, who was drunk, driving two gentlemen, also under the influence of drink, in a motor-car in Bedford-street. He was going at a slow pace, but was wandering from one side of the road to the other. When asked for his licence he said he had left it at home. The prisoner said he was not aware that he had to produce his licence whenever it was demanded by a police-officer. As to the charge of drunkenness, he said he was more tired than drunk; he had been driving all night. Mr. Marsham dealt with the prisoner under the first subsection of the Act for driving a motor-car in a negligent or reckless manner. The offence was a serious one and was punishable with a £20 penalty, but, this being the first time the prisoner had been charged he would only fine him £10. For the second offence the maximum fine was £5, but as the Act had only just come into operation he would impose the mitigated penalty of 5s. He would, however, deal more severly with similar cases in the future. 72 Regtransfers.co.uk

Saiahmtnaipu nhosnppadetwonhasemtstoreerheeasvwreeotniei’dsrrtts rcs.di,nsoaacAiwhungnnaemaecraSareswahbtsylhcreln oteoaccrooudt!oeptlptush“dshthtriThoeesspiehdrefrmie iaelerttlrfonhjateoelsdeaureautsecndoralrknt”iafh’scadsatceahlhytafdatrcetraaneemodcudprguehogioetdnfithh.rfnottiiNtyTsgrcseihuorostwthelt.ofwt.aa1yrSStots.e3hauhiAqneTnlbleuoodhundetptpehtursbrtiaitmcreoMvstiawmeebbccmodraeeooptsersotnutatelregc1anbynreca3tCatyhrciscnnahteaakoteraddthwidsneriJsis.eidefotmtgixhnuestiatouerdscdndnt.maeewaatTrrbylsbiih,ethtashiawr9iscens.,fikl1detfh.l0ilt4. rCrIraedeWne–osgimmsmicancpsoaaraotpovsrinDtansaeecenhtsdeieodyaopwlnfv’lnaosrahirotfntmhtdeimmgtoreehaenpebrrvvonokteoeehrtusehhftengv,iaircchretnepelhlhgdeertgeihisescisn)vesCltp…uteriroSroamsaimt.ulot.ihobisorpoauelnytnangrosndhnr…myeteuhTdgamweriroaiskbirtdvlseelaierrnatrsreargn.ditkdAvo,Cea(lnSolsleultmvaWoemetpupCantbsgahrienhirteDfrcoysTuSbedshrlylpahaeoaadlroauveriucgteRtnmcelhFgdnidetTohCbn1etreent5oabt5vdmreeneie4npghun.gaaim8cnr.dl2ybee2esdr.s TRiiviidddhitdIeiedeeteegiinneswsniiatcnststiritoittffoeatfriiineiqfaflcdccisnttuaaauctiaoithnteotapitimioeuistunooloitinennooneMcnAdddntaonopumeitifunintrlnrtohahastmiuchtsnataromeaotkteblresrmlosietb,rMth,adfr’eiapusine(ryosirtdtssdnhpeuf,epeifarrrtstlenrioeeotaexta.qtprisgsaccayluosno.sitailisommhttsrcoahhcueeaeefloeaosgssttn.mwnRhho”sbiftnaa rhfaeeustmoygiecsccsuaniiyoeohbsorcpntednnrflaweneraiusdrgaae.timsiilnwcutUsoolotdrbcnnnibenooemCIesdAtanrnoaaeilsctmurlwmikhrooctntheaahmtutiuhttleytolfehleomea,orddfbrigouaanuteaiciesnrRennenktnawfiFstlceitfhtlghudarhose1auattucat0eultrtphtdee5rsleiedsoitlm2.camcbm9aIteaonte.ease1rtsey1h)uts,.hcb2.teohe0 73 Regtransfers.co.uk

December 23, 1903 The Registrations. In anticipation of the coming into operation of the new Act on January 1st, large numbers of automobilists have already registered their cars or motor cycles, particularly in the metropolitan district. There has been some amount of competition for the securing of the number plate “A 1” and this has been acquired by Earl Russell for his Napier car. From other centres we hear that registration has been proceeding busily, automobilists recognising that the earlier their application the better their chance of obtaining a small number. Inasmuch as the size of the number-plate is not arbitrary, but has only to have a specified margin in addition to the actual letters and figures, it follows that the recipient of a single figure has a smaller plate than a man who is allotted a two-figure mark, and he in his turn is more fortunate than the later applicant who receives three figures as his official number. In Liverpool, on the first day for the registration of cars, writes our local correspondent, there was quite a rush of owners of private machines to secure a single letter number. In less than five minutes after the opening of the municipal buildings at nine o’ clock, all the units were taken up, No. 1 on the register being secured by Mr. A. G. Lyster, engineer to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. 74 Regtransfers.co.uk

No. 79, November 25, 1903 The Car tmdtbTcthecpochieaxelhifalAaalragfaereornfiutromlcisavSeysolaufsNseelspipgbCitolnrofeleoteujhttweagemrra,enmta,rcokemevbshsetowben,-eiosrnousegndhhweumiorfsFixieirenusthccwiaittdundolwhenlhasee.mdterotnbshhsi,tnewncesh,byertpoeeeoriemenfoccrrbsisr,aasrtwctorhTieewdh,rreihzasoflsnrhhieageitooteynumiieniulurfoccwalonrvedanldhrainrefcae,cnouystawtbtditairihemim,shpsfscoetiseeeemdeaibntoityrrtid.hbloeeshcnsoeon,aIlcruuesrecronawntsaadem,saltopnpnolhaittaoptenhtedsocfsihnbxtrwceaehicaaadbtnehncrahhnenpytiteasptiohgedcIreprslhahneuoeiadteeaobtsovusurhscolesewl,eriseameiewddosnecatcdecehmubdkoeanti.ivarensnerrfdvIiaersierrctssedfxraoyetw,ahhpeirixlbawsssmaeaixeilhcnrnptcafllhetoieeytutsltehcmeai,stueseamechehrltsassvgmdthpnre..serehaeotasaeTrocherfaafptaceoafdiimhwetitvctnrinwimoleelfeo,sainegdwrkenyfooosoelcnortmvfalreafoyesrr. No. 86, January 13, 1904 The Car IailspabndlbrceiwaelneansieoeafgmdprsicnftunetaeteipohenoroxllsaclymuntnteaNbtaywcsidetdteooietuhvchoeufnsiotmeiomnoin.htecbubusswebLhaps.neireenzorp-fcIbrtorfedotnooi-viyplirgdliosaMnbeiasedaunocfbgeurmsetrboneolototefeptte,oeasontodhmiltroyhmbtrneaamoootepmectgpphocawfliiahtreeba.onnnahnotreotinehgfsfeeflysvpfoitoeeicwsateewlrxarchtaoicrmdcphenu,ehtnooetdpeitdtiefufneoahctroiurhntgennnshaormretascdudtmiytwhrtintuoswtiahsahgsnclratboielogfeioouzsllsytneeuemhcfobritsinanheteiredogobhnrcmgeef.ullreesieatgdloSrrtauhsssih-eroorfbenistpesfeksmafvmdileftepcaoeentlii,idheirvpitnrwcutoaeegaiietilminlssdtelylaanhdiogdurlargcbeaeomParareeamrfyqfyleirwonretsucsq-tarevpchpiiruwyrhrsiaoerelaieseaaedsirfnlimtcvtsfeeltithoeiyselomheacel,t,nrreyinabaercotatrennehwlrsteceodte,astnss Regtransfers.co.uk 75

No. 86, January 13, 1904 The Car “A 1.” IhLisnsauosmtrnhpbdoereoissepntenrodoisfsptetneochrouetnyreocextoodecfu,ebnEhpytoatiiearwolsnmeRtvhteuoeemsrs,tcbheioenelvlr,retohuLtefel.edCtp,h.fhaeCinog.cdtuooWr“ugeeAnr“aca1p1irl”h”e. Earl Russell’s “A I” Car fmpIaroRteopafruwmpdsaseeoislahw,nelrotlbhhalrb’eiisasceztshtEocwetnaahteerhtren.aleelnnRtahpuutcalmhasctestobteehmeilnierlsp-dspdaemhlanxaosiytsuhleieslnidtwogntefgnhirsoilocloatuhnnbsadtsEserhttaauehotrtnieuleolrfndaèiggwulaeres. 76 Regtransfers.co.uk

No. 87, January 20, 1904 The Car Earl Russell’s Number-Plate cratu cnrèhfonrstpsioo— geoewvitdtomrniwlouecefongIItmdrim.hglliiaydltoesnIieuhemiostodtnhhmrenl,tSkeeegnaeatIIsptixeeinrvotisirTtwtlddsersetthhal,.,tae,reotheaipusy—oakletntunerrnhtnoneiakeeeglysnfadnuRlvdesroarywttIrcaaevemyiafpfrinnhpbrofoifoolioeegeoethaebbuuusesirturbeteenrahrtrrieHrnalswddictyieenftbnfe.oiihoois“,ieginlgdgluTneafuyanlagusotsdtictanpfoenrotntoiutuesdri,tehrnontohnetstasCwhaoetsrbatttywaterv”mpehhtatoanimrarheiobpnteroutcdenhoylhndyrbhrvtlyteueohoeoe.ieitcnsflotnxiotudasirutsaouustegegianseltgttmdsrsrhehiasrldrsecha.teeliab..tetisst eponwoAbeAtshrrethrefeuhhrtssrwgwtheeptaaowhdtuIaetltoihftaeoldlehwtuhe acltmheaeLrltoentahnediethyuoo.saihCeysLtrtabnvcrahso.resrete.nasCeeeCaue.sorttkga.,ptl.noothCepeuotyoReotepplcn.otunayeaomuusuwsptrrintitsrtebooaeosmsanlrrernioneteestloskdlta,lyr.oe. f No. 87, January 20, 1904 The Car wtfaawttahsdiisahhllgshhsrthtiinaeeNeeEduteaopedthrerrlriaurvennnle“eltrttrqlmeaaot,shbhlufthrut,ttetheeeRsibyiehatvcvtseeohfuaraurtpeemirtanlertlssgee–yertdeedsairicuapsttedoisirttpinrklaarlekfinaealguoginsgir’tsnccsaeefsroerItaeaanmph.wtaawtlmmhdrhelnbnesiyeaaendsnnhoipisRNAbt.tldtcntuym”wllefsytiuaeoauccimphndgsIiefsthc.osnhestetieseubto,wef1nsoereinreLrnwiio,aesnfwliedonrtlitt,foitshifgeihn,nahmooicntutidunntahehcanngtorhwurrdheethliafseueehsnbtehloGsaonphttheehoiholtoopcorbeiohmthyntesnrheterhevasepsdhirartteihlezuhhtnheaaatfnlhrayoseiaerrastdeynsone,eprndsnteamaafiddstahtpwfblvnadiaineeetianessetllmhgoostdnnhornetseneprctodceanwteu.dibdlutnerittcfeeBeHsaeeslmoeewaid,iiugrtonosnrearw,tborrtmhallfehrghafaiycecreeer.unamTeanoroderootr-medtaednhnntptfsrtbahiNhfteahbelswentoosemaergehyo,nCuvrritkrhuelem.udihmeeE2lsaionlsesscdyltai:raftteb,aghtttphry,bttihietabilhteeonhnwturleeedhe-n.etrane,sIAst Regtransfers.co.uk 77

No.89, february 3, 1904 The Car Earl Russell’s Number-Plate Sir.— I notice that you admit in a somewhat ungracious paragraph that you were wrong as to the hyphen on my number-plate. I urged no defence ; I simply pointed out that your comment was inaccurate. It is not perhaps wonderful that you fail to understand the regulations, since you cannot even quote them correctly. You say in your quotation “the mark and number must be arranged in conformity with the arrangements of figures issued in one or other of the alternative diagrams.” The actual words of the order are “the mark and number being arranged in conformity with the arrangements of letters and figures shown on one or other of the alternative diagrams.” The hyphen is neither a figure nor a letter. Since I have already stated my reason for omitting the hyphen your statement that this “course suggests an unprofitable desire to take advantage of an accidental lack of definition” should not have been made. It is quite sufficient to have displayed your ignorance without being discourteous to a correspondent who corrects you.— I am, Sir, your obedient servant. Grays Inn. Russell. [So far as the misquotation is concerned, we may explain that this was merely a typist’s error, and one, moreover, which certainly did not affect the argument to our advantage. As to a hyphen not being a figure, the claim put forward by Lord Russell is, to say the least, novel: the meaning of the word “figure” is by no means invariably confined to the sense of “numeral.” Our reference to the “unprofitable desire” had a general, not a personal, application, for we had already encountered several automobilists who hailed with satisfaction the “lack of definition” to which The Car referred, and were prepared to take advantage thereof. In Ireland the absence of a hyphen after the letter “I” would cause obvious confusion, as may be seen by reference to the illustration on page 345 of the present issue, in which a car numbered “AI-15” would be read as “AI15” if the hyphen were deleted. Action of this kind would only result in the imposition of more stringent restrictions, and for this reason we contended, and reiterate the contention, that such a course is unprofitable.—Ed.] 78 Regtransfers.co.uk

No. 90, February 10, 1904 The Car Earl Russell’s Number-Plate. RGbpataai“hfeYuonsorliitertsidgnovwnenasucuemrnoettenlrrhrlgtueoenaslaee,nmdsurmtfkm,ifettSavtehiesshitriaeneaonthrsennthttttah.ditdtflotthBcei—uehoanlatnltoeaahfglteturyeaureArdleEmr.rrase a,sdFlematibtnttsrohaheRoegslnuorner.feeRs”druomgb“ttguathhIafuehetnhsieril igSnsndsranie“autectgtglPifnerholoiieamg’regsifnsosnredursqlsvmcoueartuiotehtt nlnsooeitesneigtenaoetrrmieswteennshdstnoqescroiodtunfuliriwtituneogdoivhl rd,ennliiaceenbedtatotossgeesaelnaenidrtlcncfoedswtoooomebfhaaronmnsyotmnns hhteuaeupdaetiglntoomittolydfhLdereibbargebdoowtnseehduecthrawiherai-tAbtienehpfliniwysvrctr.lshJotaoeoseohE.”mtWrhrrefedardtos,eeirtitaawhlcmdlh“ysgteden.osaraany—“sm.h.I.”.s, No. 171, August 30, 1905 TheCar tutrtnpmhoohwshedapIerefetegenaloeorhwnlsuycodalnmeecesacolnngroeapCwoeuubsgaprtoavm.lrioierllgsnorssteeAacnoNseeianrcttazsecnr,yhettsuutteessosdhtretms,dthwnu.hbieeedwanefciubchtonndiththtehvistihrdgecehotrnemawegi-hyenrirnatrcheioitptiArgeawftahhOlaaeoyileruitdelietuesielrlninooilwebodrsswvcdgtoie:nsthrfehgaeir,estesthriheaprunhniassiiesatssarnonocegeeenievoordrhnuxptsreeccefehflii,tscafeeetsdoeattciurehatcrrhr,dcutaatevnstiiereeisatasvrwxeiedgaiersminin?crLlmcundhawydcuwuirlAolieaanadbs,ecrhowcvirtettiaqiyhtbitaripoeshtceeutoyutltirpuhtchrhrninyhtno,Goosreitegsechuenpnpnrartottmtemorileeecpuicsuvnyemtnreoeteenbiecahordusrtrrnneireernahsmretenneftrdneyepseftsno-imohecrocsb.vpcrtoaRstu,benhcuTeleyifatidbeeeernnttnhilthsa.tmgiuoeteteeosnafesoTitnsBwtrlejsocmoanlod.oohtnewnyonrumoune.rrtra-acmhetrreseoItroateengoniaishdbbicfoswaudpnea.shebsnltlyfeeihr,HohrayrnwecrasiaowmettvgcairionaromfaohearohlenydwtrdennsniheyiiftlcleescnnUhugetyeaiaeoegarrwzssncrfatteeoehhoeotisferhsf,ere Regtransfers.co.uk 79

No. 104, may 18, 1904 The Car Correspondence. A Warning to Motor-Car Dealers. Sir. — A friend of mine has been summoned under the new Act for driving a 16 h.p. car “without the said car being registered.” The circumstances are as follows:– He and I drove in the car to a certain police court on the 5th inst. I got out to ask a constable where we might leave the car whilst we were in the court, when a police inspector came up and ordered his man to take the number off the car. On my asking why, he replied that it was not on test or taking out a prospective customer. Now, I have paid the L.C.C. £3 for a Dealer’s General Identification Mark, and the necessary two number plates were affixed to the car in the proper positions. I understand that the purpose of registration and identification plates is to enable the authorities to put their hands on anyone who breaks the law - to identify in fact - but if one is to be hauled up for taking a car out under such circumstances it seems to me that the law becomes a farce, and one is liable to be held up at any time. If a conviction follows in this case it means that all sorts of possibilities open out. For instance, if I want to give a run to a man I should be liable to be stopped whilst driving to his house or returning. I might want to go and see a client on a matter of detail, but apparently I must not take a car out for such a purpose. I think, from enquiries made, that dealers do not know how this matter stands, so it might be well if you could take it up in your paper in the interests of the trade. I enclose, for your information, copy of the letter I wrote to the L.C.C., also copy of their reply. They do not answer my question, but surely the certificate is clear proof of registration. Yours faithfully. A Motor-Car Dealer. 80 Regtransfers.co.uk

NfpadShsoo–ommepubihPeti.lrppbrrrnpniieaoerea1saconpedtedeedroctiee0Lweoetattnsneiftnhnnlen4anriariaryiedsoatrdcs“,lnwgcurpeSteenmeogMotw.tn.rrnwedhanfswobIoiahtctaa’tahvebeytfiytothytoosmnifhenee”poefottodaind1ohcnaernsirtrfcoS8enoncetrnehlgDehphtkevrIo,dsmeldehuwsytetotseievno1ohtoeeeinp,Ltanieenloi9filimaonftnelonesrtoroetr0ydeittlahmgadntefacnhcw4arelfseao.inostagep ea”snnttienkftflhooptngbdgAiaerPeoGdpn.“mecieaeanwsacofsrraAenddaoytwqipirthrfrclvnes.lvnwpsuoaiatihisgtitcToeoaottlerfhnuiaeheelr ttomntohise,gmsbhannhsnn”trfetneiieempeActohtpaostsfmtrnorewrhfepuotncaeiwtsoihienpasrtalontoMmfhaiheigeterthinnIpftvadendweaipIr oaBusaseakictr,tosattimhrvhhmsolornomrplcmufiiaebaaatrtacfatroastocteartusooyhlHeCsiencdauetdaomtesnhhlotsnoohiarelynnsaeaeeutroorua aoo“stysvsiraurvvfsAuntstpAsreerhernweeterwdteeifcaParerdnsn,iecoMhhtaisit.sreaednorlisfideeaonlarOrnrghoecoradileCfolebhndooriettilbTdahpsoipn1eaotgnuvtdaemhiitrrn9htm.vlsnsiiua–oodeo0oeedaiIenscvmcttren3urniCehhagmitinmn,sttdseoraveeiahlionndavenearysorebwnover,snotty’tehothsfhreaids the public. No. 189, January 3, 1906 The Car 81 nrqaomstoceihuuufgafaNOaitifsdthchtttfhueebthaikoeecimseblmrhrricyiiAl,eabltgeupaniwscec,hreomtoratsojhtss,utlvprisaiitbsceaogiolotbuhwrnsnhetodlotd.thheid,rctseo.iohc,tbccwaroSnhpeuwhiaurbonariirsttttessitrmihehhslcmeeieaslaeneudeumsrytrnbimmesohpiaduuaonomertoeiacdmmiopnnotttkemsithhaibtennteeniteeoiaerfeicmaro.orgirassuc.fInrieofftasttlTeiri,snuhottnooaihriuutensfesonnahernmgotnstqbohedonpuabnmrhasoofsoucieusafuthlknErwmvesibbsaocpnenthtevcbfeshlegfeuilaeteudaecelaanmsractnhladkrhynhseirdbiieem,mthsdeneadacmho,frrpasoastopuwmyioehniwswlllbcsaahdsuseieehiiecdneeddlddbcnvedlrd.ebo.eetieuilIorcteAmnranichtka,cnehtgeeeeleoacavgeipslnbmutvciyhfttgtdrrwheeaheeeilfawboaeeaaorslsulcgroylsshe, Regtransfers.co.uk

No. 189, January 3, 1906 The Car It may be asked, perhaps, by the unthinking The Need for why there need be any distinction between Trade “Marks.” makers’ “marks” and the ordinary number- plates of private owners; in other words, why should not the manufacturer register a car as soon as it is built? The answer is fairly obvious. When an individual car is registered the name and residence of its owner have to be entered on the certificate, as well as the type and colour of the body. If a maker always fitted every chassis with a body and then registered the combination, many of his customers would demand a different type and a different colour alike, and the particulars would have to be amended accordingly; while even if a car were taken as it stood the purchaser would still have to notify the county council of the change of ownership, which would mean that an extra 10s. would be received on every car on transference from manufacturer to owner. If, moreover, the customer preferred to register his car in the county where he lived instead of that of the manufacturer, he would have to register it anew and pay a sovereign ere receiving a fresh number-plate. Apart from this matter of the councils profiting twice over upon every car, it would be absurd to treat a firm of manufacturers as a private owner on a colossal scale, and make them pay £1 on every car which they turned out, and which they actually owned for a few minutes only; for, as a rule, the purchaser is only too eager to take delivery as soon as a car has had its coachwork finished after the testing of the chassis. But let no one imagine for a moment that a motor-car, in skeleton form or fully equipped and painted, is allowed to be driven on the roads of this country without means of identification. That is a privilege reserved for the King, and, of course, the very fact of the exception declares the identity of the royal car at a glance. 82 Regtransfers.co.uk

Mr. A.A. Speechley was given this World War I tank named ‘Jenny Jones’ by Ealing Council and used his trade plate 144 MX when he moved it from Dean Gardens, Uxbridge Road, West Ealing to ‘Speechley’s Yard’, Bath Road, Longford on Sunday February 12, 1933. Number Plate AK-3747 and trade plate 723 H. Are these plates still in circulation? 83 Regtransfers.co.uk

No. 154, may 3, 1905 The Car The New Number-plate. An interesting epoch in the development of automobilism is marked by the fact that 10,000 motor vehicles have now been registered in London. Since our last issue the Local Number Plate LC-30 London’s New Number-Plate. Government Board has promulgated an official order to the effect that the letters “LC” have been awarded to the London County Council as a distinguishing mark in lieu of the letter “A” which has hitherto done duty. Clearly this decision was made none too soon, for, as the accompanying illustration shows, the Council has already entered upon its second series. The numbers LC 1 to 29 have been retained by the Council for its Works Department, and the first number issued to an applicant from the general public is LC 30, which is now affixed to the Decauville belonging to Mr. R. Moffatt Ford. 84 Regtransfers.co.uk

Outline of the Legislation by Les Newall Before 1903 As early as 1681 it was required that carts licensed to ply for hire in the City of London should be marked with the City coat of arms and a number on a brass plate. The London Hackney Carriage Act of 1831 referred to \"stage coaches…….being duly licensed and having proper numbered plates\" and before the end of the century London and probably other local authorities required hackney carriages to carry numbered plates. The Revenue Act of 1869, effective 1 January 1870, imposed a uniform system of taxation for horse-drawn carriages. The Locomotives Act of 1898 required county councils or county borough councils to register or license \"heavy locomotives\", (excluding those used for agricultural purposes), operating within their area. A \"heavy locomotive\" was one with an unladen weight of or exceeding 3 tons, (in practice almost exclusively steam powered vehicles). The Motor Car Act, 1903 This was the first legislation to require the universal registration of motor vehicles, and the requirement to carry number plates. Section 2 includes the following sub-sections: (1) Every motor car shall be registered with the council of a county or county borough, and every such council shall assign a separate number to every car registered with them. (2) A mark indicating the registered number of the car and the council with which the car is registered shall be fixed on the car or on a vehicle drawn by the car, or on both, in such manner as the council require in conformity with regulations of the Local Government Board made under this Act. The Act came into force on 1st January 1904. \"Heavy locomotives\" were excluded from the registration provisions of the 1903 Act since they were already required to be registered or licensed under the Locomotives Act of 1898. The Heavy Motor Car Order of 1904 redefined the upper weight limit for a \"motor car\" from 3 tons to 5 tons and thus vehicles with unladen weights between these figures became regulated by the Motor Car Act of 1903 rather than the Locomotives Act of 1898. Tramcars were also excluded from the provisions of the Act. Regtransfers.co.uk 85

The Regulations of 1903 The regulations referred to in Section 2 of the 1903 Act duly appeared as: The Motor Car (Registration & Licensing) Order, 1903. Statutory Rules and Orders 1903, No. 998. The Motor Car Registration & Licensing (Scotland) Order 1903, SR&O 1903, No. 1001. The Motor Car (Registration & Licensing) (Ireland) Order 1903, SR&O 1903, No. 1002. The following is a summary of their main provisions: Article I of Part I required that \"The Council of every County and the Council of every County Borough shall establish and keep a Register (hereinafter referred to as \"the Register of Motor Cars\") for the registration of motor cars. The index mark distinguishing the Council of the County or County Borough with which a motor car is registered shall…be the letter or letters shown opposite to the name of that Council in Part I of the First Schedule to this Order\". This article required that the register was to be kept in the form specified in the Second Schedule and provided that the Council may, if they thought fit, keep the Register in two parts, one relating to motor cars and the other to motor cycles. Article II specified the fees for registration and Article III required that the Council, on receipt of an application for registration \"shall forthwith assign a separate number to the motor car…\" Article IV provided that on change of ownership \"an application shall be made either to cancel the registration of the car or to continue the existing registration under the new ownership.\" Article VI stated \"If the Council are satisfied that a motor car which has been registered with them is destroyed, broken up, or permanently removed from the United Kingdom, or registered with another registering authority under the Act of 1903, or if the owner of a registered motor car…requests them to cancel the registration…… they shall cause the entries in the Register of Motor Cars….. to be cancelled and may, if they think fit, assign the registered number of the motor car to any other motor car belonging to the same or any other owner\". Article VII: \"The mark to be carried by a registered motor car, in pursuance of section 2 of the Act of 1903, shall consist of two plates which must conform as to lettering, numbering and otherwise, with the provisions set out in the Fourth Schedule to this Order. Designs , painted or otherwise, shown upon the motor car may, if it is desired, be used instead of plates…\" Article VIII Dealt with the positioning of plates, (one front, one rear, in an upright position), and provided for the use of double sided plates on the front of motor cycles or tricycles not exceeding 3 cwt. unladen. Article IX provided for the display of a duplicate plate on a trailer. Article X permitted Councils, if they thought fit, to supply plates and make a charge for them. Article XI provided for the illumination of rear plates during hours of darkness. Article XII dealt with the assignment to manufacturers or dealers of a general identification mark and specified the form such marks should take. 86 Regtransfers.co.uk

Order of Issue of Index Marks by Les Newall One and two letter marks preceding numbers Although the Act decreed that registration should be in effect from 1 January 1904, most authorities commenced registering vehicles in December 1903 and a few in November. The oft-repeated claim that A 1 was the first British registration is meaningless in this context - thousands of vehicles had already been registered before the operative date. Indeed, the evidence is that A 1 was not allocated until December 1903, (the exact date is not available since all the LCC's records have been destroyed), whilst Buckinghamshire, Somerset and Hastings had commenced registering vehicles in November. There was usually a time lag between the date of allotment of a mark by a SR&O and the date the mark was taken into use, but one and two-letter index marks were brought into use in the same order in which they were allotted by SR&O, with very few exceptions. The late issue of OC has already been referred to, and the only other case where the order of allocation and the order of issue differed was that of some of the London County Council's later issues. Three letter marks preceding numbers Three-letter index marks were not always issued in alphabetical sequence. Staffordshire's first three marks were ARF, (the very first three-letter issue in July 1932), BRF and CRF, because although RF was finished, RE was still in use for motorcycles only. Next after ARF was Middlesex with AMY, issued out of sequence to celebrate Amy Johnson's historic flight. Numerous authorities, (e.g. Bedfordshire, Birkenhead, Coventry and Southampton) issued their three-letter marks in the same order in which their two-letter marks had been allotted, e.g. for Bedfordshire: ABM, ANM, ATM, AMJ - not ABM, AMJ, ANM, and ATM etc. Devon adopted a unique system. They took each two-letter mark in the order in which it had been allotted and issued it in as many three-letter combinations as had been allotted in the latest SR&O. Thus, the initial order was ATA, BTA, ATT, BTT, AUO, BUO, ADV, BDV, AOD, BOD and this pattern continued throughout to YOD. Middlesex allocated certain combinations to major distributors and this led to irregularities in the order of issue but a major departure from the normal order took place in late 1938 when RHX to RMY were specially allotted to the War Department (normal Middlesex issues were then in the Kxx series), followed by PHX to PMY and SHX. In general, three-letter index marks were used only when the authority in question had exhausted its two-letter series. There were a few exceptions, e.g. Staffordshire, who continued to issue RE for motorcycles until it reached 9999 in 1947 and Regtransfers.co.uk 87

Middlesex, who still had several incomplete two-letter series when they commenced issuing three-letter marks. Some of the smaller Scottish counties were still using two-letter marks until they commenced the year-letter system in 1964 or 1965. Reserved Series There are numerous instances of complete series being allotted to a single registrant. Mention has already been made of the fact that complete series were reserved for War Department vehicles by Middlesex, with whom almost all military vehicles had been registered since 1921. In the two-letter era blocks of up to 2000 numbers had been reserved, but with the onset of three-letter marks complete blocks of 999 were set aside, (although in the first few \"War Department\" series the numbers 1-20 were omitted from the block issue.) Several complete series and large blocks in other series were issued solely to armoured vehicles and when in the post-war years Middlesex were running short of available marks, many of these series and blocks were used again for normal issue. Since the possibility of armoured vehicles transferring to civilian use could be ignored, the usual objections to the reissue of void numbers did not apply. The largest recipient of complete series was, however, the General Post Office, almost all of whose vehicles were registered by the London County Council until 1 October 1969 when they commenced to be registered locally. Between 1939 and 1969 over 150 complete or near complete blocks were thus reserved. London also reserved complete series for other government departments. Watford was the home of the L.M.S. Railway's road motor department and Hertfordshire allotted several complete series to the railway company and, later, to the London Midland Region of British Railways. Two cities (Birmingham with JOJ and Glasgow with SGD) reserved whole series for their municipal bus fleet and, in the latter case, other Corporation vehicles. Another notable recipient of complete blocks was the vehicle distribution company, Stewart and Ardern, who for a long period had their own series issued by Middlesex, usually with separate series for private and commercial vehicles in use simultaneously. When the Home Delivery Export Scheme commenced in 1953, London, Birmingham and Coventry reserved complete series for these issues. Complete, or almost complete, series were also allotted to Claude Rye, motorcycle dealer (RYE) and Sir Alfred McAlpine, public works contractors (MCA). Segregation of Vehicle Types A few authorities, notably London, Middlesex and Birmingham registered commercial vehicles and/or motorcycles separately from cars. 88 Regtransfers.co.uk

Order of Issue of Registration Numbers by Les Newall One and two letter marks preceding numbers 1903 to 1920 It was initially envisaged that single and two-letter index marks would be followed by the numbers 1 to 999. The Local Government Board's circular to county and county borough councils dated 20th November 1903, which set out the minutiae of the operation of the Motor Car Act, contained in this paragraph: \"The Board contemplate that Councils will usually assign consecutive numbers to cars registered with them. They think, however, that for purposes of ready identification, it is not desirable that numbers consisting of more than three figures should be assigned, and they will be prepared, if desired, to assign a fresh index mark to any Council who may require to start a fresh series of numbers under a new mark\". However, it would appear that the Local Government Board very quickly had second thoughts, even before London exhausted its initial mark, since it must have become obvious that the increasing use of cars would require a system with a greater capacity than originally envisaged. Thus, all one and two-letter marks were followed by up to four numerals. The commonest method of issue of registration numbers was, of course, to allot numbers sequentially from 1 to 9999, but there were numerous variations from this practice. Article IV of the 1903 Regulations stated \"If the ownership of the car is changed, notice of the change shall be given either by the new, or the old owner to the Council with which the motor car is registered, and an application shall also be made either to cancel the registration of the car or to continue the existing registration under the new ownership\". Article VI provided that \"If the Council are satisfied that a motor car which has been registered with them is destroyed, broken up, permanently removed from the United Kingdom, or registered with another registering authority under the Act of 1903, or if the owner of a registered motor car by application in writing requests them to cancel the registration thereof (except where in the case of a change in ownership, there is an application to continue the existing registration) they shall cause the entries in the Register of Motor Cars with respect to the motor car to be cancelled, and may, if they think fit, assign the registered number of the motor car to any other motor car whether belonging to the same or any other owner.\" Thus, these two regulations authorised the re-issue of void numbers, and it was possible for a car to receive a new number on change of ownership, or for a new car to receive a void registration number. (The Roads Act of 1920 put an end to this practice). The 1903 Regulations further specified that \"The Council of any County or County Borough may, if they think fit, keep the Regtransfers.co.uk 89

Register of Motor Cars in two parts, one relating to motor cars not being motor cycles, and the other part relating to motorcycles.\" In those early days motorcycles were, in some areas, as numerous as cars. As with much of the original legislation, there was no uniformity of practice between the various authorities. Many simply kept separate registers for the two categories, but used a common sequence of numbers issued in numerical order as and when required. At the other extreme were those authorities who not only kept separate registers, but also adopted a separate and duplicate sequence of numbers for motorcycles; in many cases the two series continued side by side until the end of 1920. Derbyshire, for example issued to the end of 1920 R 1-5395 for cars and R 1-5795 for cycles; from 1.1.21 a common series R 5796 upwards. (In a few cases there were three parallel series, in the case of those authorities using a separate sequence for Heavy Motor Cars). Other authorities, whilst using a common series of numbers, adopted numbering schemes by means of which motorcycles could readily be identified. Number Plate BL 2910 90 Regtransfers.co.uk

Re-issue of Void Numbers by Les Newall The reissue of numbers previously used was frowned upon after 1920 and the only noteworthy exceptions before 1955 were QQ 1000-9999 and the Middlesex blocks originally allocated to armoured vehicles of the War Department. However, in response to a growing desire for \"cherished\" numbers, in 1955 the Ministry of Transport instructed local authorities that they could, on request and on payment of the then statutory fee of £5 for a cherished transfer, re-issue a registration mark and number if they were satisfied that the vehicle to which it had been originally issued had either been destroyed or permanently exported. This concession was discontinued in 1962. Thereafter the reissue of used numbers was confirmed to the special marks for heads of diplomatic missions and to veteran and vintage vehicles of genuine historic interest; Bournemouth was prominent in reissuing a number of EL’s for this purpose, especially in the EL 1xxx range. This practice ceased with the introduction of \"Age-Related\" marks in 1983. It has been suggested by several Registration Authorities that in order to avoid the allotment of additional Index Marks, the proper course is for them to search the old registers, cancel registrations which appear to be dead, and reissue the numbers. The Minister, however, is not in favour of the adoption of this procedure - at any rate, for the present.\" Circular RF 150, 2.3.22 The arrangement for the issue of void marks was discontinued by the Minister in 1962. No void mark should therefore be reissued by a Council unless they are expressly authorised to do so by the Driving and Motor Licences Division of the Ministry to certain exceptional circumstances. A reconditioned vehicle of this kind, (i.e. a \"Veteran\" car), would, of course be entitled to keep the original registration mark if it had been registered under the Motor Car Act of 1903, but where it is impossible to produce evidence to this effect or the vehicle is a \"rebuild\" it is allotted a registration mark from the current series. In view of the special Construction & Use arrangements it has been agreed that it Regtransfers.co.uk 91

would be desirable to allocate an index mark more appropriate to the vehicle's age. Councils are asked, therefore, to give sympathetic consideration to any requests for appropriate numbers for these vehicles. Because of the ban on the reissue of void marks imposed by the Minister in 1962 it will be desirable to refer any case to this Department where it is not possible to meet such a request from unused marks in an earlier series. Consideration will then be given to the reissue of a \"void\" mark to meet the exceptional circumstances. It cannot be too strongly emphasised that this should not be regarded as a relaxation of the ban on the reissue of \"void\" marks. Only a very small number of vehicles should fail to be dealt with under the foregoing paragraph. M.o.T. \"Handbook\", 1965 edition. *********** 92 Regtransfers.co.uk

International Circulation by Les Newall The U.K. was party to the International Convention on Motor Traffic of 11 October 1909 and under the Provisional Regulations of 9 March 1921 the special mark QQ was allotted for issue to vehicles arriving in this country without a valid International Travelling Pass issued under the Convention. The principal motoring organisations were appointed as registration authorities for the purpose of these temporary registrations and, although all 'Q' combinations were normally allotted to the London County Council, (and subsequently to the Greater London Council and London Central VRO), by far the greater number of 'Q' registrations are, in fact, allocated through the Automobile Association and the Royal Automobile Club. Initially QQ 1-1000 were allotted to the County Council and the reminder to the motoring organisations. Subsequently, in 1930, the A.A, the R.A.C and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club were allotted their own index marks for this purpose, i.e. QA, QC and QS respect- ively, although there is no evidence that the latter organisation ever exercised its duties in this respect and the mark QS was later used by the RAC. When the LCC had reached QQ 1000 they re-issued QQ 1001-9999, (by this time long extinct) - apart from the re-use of certain Middlesex marks originally allotted to armoured vehicles this was the only instance of a mass re-use of registrations after 1921. Further allotments of index marks were made to the three licensing agents through the Q series, up to QT, issued to the AA in 1976. After expiry of this series QX and then QY were used for all three agencies, the letters X and Y being year identifiers to coincide with the X and Y year suffix on normal issues. Additionally an allotment was made in these series to the Royal Air Force Base at Mildenhall, where registration of vehicles belonging to members of the United States Forces in the United Kingdom was undertaken. The format was then reversed with up to four numerals followed by QA, QB etc., the second letter again coinciding with the year prefix currently in use. It should also be mentioned here that the marks QI and QZ were allotted in 1963 to perform the same function in Northern Ireland, but in practice these marks were never brought into use. ZZ, introduced in 1925, performs a similar function in the Republic of Ireland. [Numbers in the 'Q' series were not issued consecutively, especially by the AA, and there was considerable overlap between the commencement of a new series and the completion of the preceding one. The AA series QM, QP and QT were issued in distinct number blocks, dependent partly upon the make of vehicle and partly upon the shape of the plates, (i.e. whether two squares, two oblong, one oblong and one square, or a single motorcycle plate.)] Regtransfers.co.uk 93

No SEX please we’re British! by John Harrison The British registration system dates back to 1903 and so does its censorship. In 1903 one and two letter codes were allocated to English and Welsh local authorities in order of population size from A to Y and AA to FP. One code was omitted from this sequence, DT on the basis it stood for delirium tremens. As this article will illustrate, what at one time is considered unacceptable subsequently becomes acceptable or vice versa and in 1927 it was decided to allocate DT to the then newly created County Borough, Doncaster, the choice of DT being appropriate as it was, of course, a mnemonic for Doncaster. DD was also omitted as it also stood for a form of alcoholic delirium, but this was allocated to Gloucestershire in 1921. The final code to be omitted from the original England and Wales allocation was ER, the then royal cipher. This was allocated to Cambridgeshire in 1922. SC, SF, SG, CS, FS & GS were omitted from the Scottish allocation. The likely explanation for this is the possibility of confusing the letters C & G and E and F - at this time most number plates were hand painted, sometimes rather crudely. Two authorities objected to the codes they were allocated in 1903. The residents of Dorset did not like BF, as this stood for “bloody fool” so this was replaced by FX. The residents of Northampton objected to having DF and they were soon given NH as an alternative code, but in 1927 DF was recommenced after it had been given to Gloucestershire. As local authorities used up their initial two letter codes, many were allocated further codes. Somewhat surprisingly VD was commenced by Lanarkshire in 1930, though in 1977 Luton LVLO to whom it had then passed stopped issuing three letter codes ending in VD! By the late 1950s only three codes remained unallocated. BF had still not been reused and the other two were OO and WC. Staffordshire and Essex were running short of available registration combinations and BF was allocated to Staffordshire and OO and WC to Essex. BF and WC were only allowed to be used on three letter combinations and the combinations ABF, UBF, AWC and UWC were not allowed. LOO and POO were, however, considered socially acceptable! Despite the ban on BF and WC in the 1950s, some BF’s and WC’s have now been sold in the government’s Classic Auctions! In the early 1930s local authorities started using three-letter combinations and this obviously produced more scope for rude words. In would take too long to list all 94 Regtransfers.co.uk

banned combinations, but a few obvious examples are FUC, FUK, GOD and SEX. Not all combinations are omitted for reasons of prurience - USN was not used because of possible confusion with US naval registrations and XXX was not used because it was a police radio call sign. DWO was not issued, but nobody has given me an explanation for this. APE is a banned combination but this was actually issued in error by Guildford with T-suffix. In 1953 reversed registrations were first issued. This only raised two censorship problems. One was the possibility of confusion between the letter “O” and the number “0”. To take my own cherished number, 3890 RF, as an example, had 389 ORF also been issued there would have been scope for confusion. Many authorities, Staffordshire who had the RF code included, avoided using letter “triples” commencing with the letter “O”. Other authorities, however, used triples commencing with the letter “O”, but did not use numbers ending with zero. The second problem was that trade plates were in the format 123 AB and most local authorities avoided the possibility of confusion by not using the combinations reserved for trade plates. For instance, using RF as an example, this series started at 1000. Other series started at lower numbers, like RE (another Staffordshire code) which started at 500. Recently DVLA has, of course started selling combinations from partially issued series in the Classic Auctions and most such registrations come from these blocks originally reserved for trade plates. The cautious bureaucrats of the 50’s and 60’s who avoided this duplication have inadvertently managed to provide a bonanza for DVLA as it has meant more low and consequently desirable numbers were available for sale by auction. The introduction of year letters in 1963 indirectly resulted in another reason for censorship being introduced. Because it became desirable to disguise the age of one’s vehicle, cherished numbers became more popular and in the late 1970’s. It became the policy to avoid issuing cherishable numbers as normal registrations, though a few have inevitably slipped through the net over the years, e.g. BEAST, CLASSY, NESSY, A911 POR and H151 MON (HI SIMON). In 1978/79 combinations ending in xxG IT and xxT IT were withheld, though some examples have been sold in the Classic Auctions, e.g. TAG IT and PUT IT. When year prefixes commenced in 1983, the numbers 1-20 were withheld for subsequent sale. Also in the “A” year, 55 and 550-9 were not issued for obvious reasons. Around this time most Local Offices stopped issuing “desirable” combinations, e.g. DON, PAM, BMW. Practice has not always been consistent in this respect. For example, Chelmsford withheld SOO when it was due to be issued in the “A” year, but issued it in the “D” and “V” years. Early in the “G” year it was announced that 666 would no longer be issued because of its satanic overtones, though this decision was subsequently reversed in that it can now be purchased under the government’s Select scheme. Regtransfers.co.uk 95

In 1996 DVLA reviewed the list of banned combinations. Some which were previously banned became available under the Select scheme, ABF, APE, AWC, BBF, BOG, FAG, HOG, LAV, NBG, SOT, and UWC, i.e. one could only be allocated such a registration by deliberately buying it. DWO, GPO which had previously been reserved for Post Office use only and UBF were made generally available. The new registration system introduced in 2001 has created censorship issues. FO & FU have been completely censored as letter pairs at the beginning of the mark. In addition FK, VD and WC have only been available for purchase under the Select scheme – they are not available as ordinary issues. As with the old system many letter triples have also been banned. Also care has been taken to avoid groupings of letters which become potentially offensive, e.g. AGS, UTS and UTY have not been used in the “51” period and combinations like BU-LLY, DE-ATH and PA-KKY have been banned. Despite this care early in the “01” period Preston Local Office caused offence by issuing PO01 combinations to garages and these were soon withdrawn. 96 Regtransfers.co.uk

Part Four The Fun Begins - and never ends 101 Fun facts about number plates Press releases from 2001 People and their plates Regtransfers.co.uk 97

101 Things you didn’t know about number plates 1. The world's first national vehicle registration system was introduced in Holland in 1899. Britain followed in 1903. The first plate issued in London, was A 1. 2. The earliest known celebrity cherished number plate was T 8, owned by Harry Tate (1873-1940), a Music Hall Artist. It is now owned by Johnny Tate of the sugar company Tate & Lyle. 3. Although the number plates 7 ONY and CHE 21E are available, the Prime Minister and his wife are unlikely to buy them, for security reasons. 4. Cherie Blair is reported to have bought a bed for their youngest child Leo, in the shape of a Lamborghini, together with the Downing Street plate LEO 10. 5. HM The Queen owns A 7, whilst her daughter, Princess Ann used to hold 1 ANN on her car, but had to take it off for security reasons. 6. HM The Queen Mother had NLT 2 and her son-in-law HRH Prince Philip has OXR 1. 7. 3 GXM was Princess Margaret's plate and YR 11 is the Duke of Kent's. Harry Tate, 8. DS 500 is owned by the former Liberal Music Hall Artist. party leader David Steel. I wonder if Jeffrey Archer still owns ANY 1. 9. Barry Fry, the manager of 'The Posh' Peterborough FC, bought POS 11 from dealer Regtransfers.co.uk. He thought David Beckham might like to buy it from him for his wife Victoria 'Posh Spice', but Becks said she dislikes her nickname. In 98 Regtransfers.co.uk

any case they already own W77 DVB. 10. Convicted sex offender, Jonathan King, is reported to have lured boys to his bachelor pad, driving them there in his brown Rolls Royce with the private plate JK 9000. 11. Entertainer Max Bygraves, sold his beloved MB 1 to Regtransfers.co.uk, along with the Rolls Royce it has been on for over 30 years. He reputedly refused up to £50,000 for it from Mercedes Benz. 12. A Regtransfers.co.uk sales person was sickened to receive an enquiry for the plate 11 SEP, just days after the terrorist attack in New York. 13. VIP 1 was originally issued for the Pope’s visit to Ireland. Sold by dealer Regtransfers.co.uk in 2001, it is back on the market again. 14. MS 1 is the most expensive number plate on today's market, priced at a cool £250,000. 15. MS 1 was first owned by Henry Adolf Salvesen - he acquired it on 28 December 1903. 16. The new style number plates came out on 1st September 2001. Some of the best ones are DE51 REE, LE51 LEY and AR51 NAL. 17. The DVLA have issued many 'naughty' plates: PU51 SUC, SHA 61N, P9 RNO, EA51 LAY and even PEN 15 (bought by Steve Parrish, former British motor- cycle champion). 18. The plate J1 HAD (Jihad being the Muslim name for a holy war) was banned as soon as the J registrations came out in 1991. 19. Jimmy Tarbuck is the envy of every comedian in the UK with his number plate COM 1C. 20. Lennie Bennett, the comedian and television quiz show host, had the last laugh with GAG 22. 21. Controversial funny man Bernard Manning owns BJM 1, 1 LAF and 11 LAF. Regtransfers.co.uk 99

22. Mike Reid who played Frank Butcher in Eastenders, owns JOK 1E. I wonder if he knows that JOK 3S is currently on the market. 23. Sid Owen, who played Frank Butcher's son Ricky, has the plate 360 SYD. 24. Patsy Palmer, who played Ricky's cheating wife, has P17 TSY. 25. Mrs Naseem Hirani from Bristol was delighted when her husband secured the number plate NA51 EEM for her. It could make boxer Prince Naseem Hamid wish he'd kept on his toes. He'll have to stick to NAS 1 for now. 26. 1 KO and 111 KO are the knock out number plates of Chris Eubank, supplied by Regtransfers.co.uk 27. Mark Skeggs, a Fireman from Hertfordshire, has the number plate F14 MES on his red Ferrari. 28. POT 73R, a magical plate for all Harry Potter fans, has come on the market for £15,000. 29. Ventriloquist Keith Harris paid £2,100 for his feathered friend's name plate ORV 1L. 30. In the Koran the number 786 has a special religious significance for Muslims who will pay high prices for any plates containing these numbers. 31. In the USA, Vanity Plates, as they call them, are even more popular than in the UK. Nearly any combination is allowed. 32. American fitness club owner Sean Phillips bought BRA 5H because he says, he is a 'brash American' now living in England. 33. Kent meat importer Alan Burke's wife Sue refused to get into his car after he bought ORG 45M. When it no longer aroused him, he put it up for sale. 34. Leisure company director Linda Downs is happy to drive between her clubs in the 100 Regtransfers.co.uk